Learn the true stories behind some of Norman Rockwell’s Boy Scout paintings

It was a time of idyllic Scouting scenes and uniforms somehow still crisp and clean after a full day of hiking.

The Norman Rockwell era was so brilliantly depicted in the 51 original images he created for the official Boy Scouts annual calendar.

My fellow editor Gretchen Sparling and I got a special treat earlier this month when we got to see several of those Rockwell works in person.

Our guide for this Facebook Live video was Jennifer Landry, curator of the National Scouting Museum. Over the course of less than an hour, she took us back in time to share the fascinating story behind some of Rockwell’s greatest pieces.

I learned quite a bit, and so will you. For example: Did you know that long before Rockwell was a household name, he was the art editor of Boys’ Life magazine? You can see all of the covers he created in this gallery.

Though the video was broadcast live, it has been preserved for later viewing. Watch it all below or at this link.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.